Okay ,I wanted to read this it sounds really good and starts with a lot of action right away! The problem is the ARC had different sized font for absolutely no reason. I can't focus on what's happening in the story because the font is too distracting. I won't be finishing it.

I did not like this book. The first person pov was very hard to get through, and the beginning of the book was very confusing. I wish we were SHOWED more things, rather than told. This book just wasn't for me unfortunately.

I enjoyed the characters
Alistair, Tobias and
Which helps because I don't usually enjoy books like this. And I really wanted to like this book from the moment I saw it pop up on twitter, so when NetGalley had it up I jumped on it and was thrilled to finally get to read it.

But I'll admit I struggled through the first part of the book. I question whether or not to give up on it. The only reason I kept pushing through is because I really did want to like this book.

I however just didn't. There was to many characters, the style bored me to skim read which is never a good sign for me. And I'd rather do anything then read this book.

But damn that cover is so beautiful. I'm glad I got a chance to read it and I can already see that people will love this book it is definitely a book a friend of mine likes to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is published.

What’s Going On?

Centuries ago, a deadly man turned Dianna into a monster in exchange for her and her sister’s lives. She’s been ruination since, carrying out his deeds. Now, her world crosses with Liam’s. He is a god king of a destroyed planet. Dianna’s boss wants a forbidden book associated with Liam’s world, and he will do everything in his expansive power to obtain it. So, Dianna targets the book, and by extension, Liam. But power is a fickle thing, and Dianna’s trapped by a powerful man who uses her to do his bidding.

What Works?

-Age. Finally a fantasy book where the female mc isn’t a plucky late teen. She used to be mortal, but is now centuries old. He’s centuries old, because that’s the formula for every fantasy male mc. So finally they’re on the same plane.

-This retains a lot of the fantasy elements readers enjoy while subverting the typical fantasy plot. For example, the enemies to lovers trope. They’re sworn enemies and want each other dead, but there’s no abuse or acts you can’t come back from. (How maudlin, praising a book for not depicting abusive relationships! What is the state of reading today?) Authors need to remember that these characters are going to love each other in the end, so I’m glad this book didn’t fall into the trap. There’s other elements that worked too, like making sure the female mc doesn’t girlboss too close to the sun, avoiding Not Like Other Girls syndrome, satirizing men’s wars, actually fighting back when you have no choice but to trade one powerful man for another. It was quite refreshing to read a fantasy that counteracts the usual problems of the genre.

-She is not afraid to be evil. I tire of the “good moral person who just wants to save the world” act. That’s not Dianna. All she cares about is her sister. And she will get dirty when she needs to — which is often. Like, she didn’t hesitate to threaten an acquaintance to get what she wanted, after seeing that playing nice got her backstabbed. I want to run around in circles screaming with glee because finally, an actual morally gray heroine.

-Their relationship. This is how enemies to lovers is supposed to work. Well, this took an enemies to friends to lovers trajectory. Enemies, again without the abuse. Hate each other but aren’t cruel to one another. They know the other is hot, but they’re too turned off by their personality to start listing after them. Yet there’s chemistry, and they bicker to no end. Then something small shifts, and they forge a working relationship, but they still dislike each other. They start to understand each other more, and the slow burn continues. Though I prefer the extremes of enemies to lovers, they forged a nice friendship in between! Though it reached a point where it felt rushed.

What Needs Work?

-A lot of contemporary diction and world stylings. It’s parallel to the modern world. This isn’t necessarily bad, nor does it deter from the story, but it’s not my preference in a fantasy book. Just something to keep in mind. Although, the technology is integrated into the plot very well.

-Soooo much unnecessary description of clothes.

-Writing needs editing.

-World building feels inorganic. It’s very obvious that it’s world building that it reads like info dumping. What works best is when you can’t see the mechanics — here, it’s laid bare for you to see.

-POVs. I find it a challenge in books to have dual/multiple first-person perspectives. It takes a lot to make it flow, to give them distinct voices, and to connect them to readers. Unfortunately, this succumbed to the challenge. Further, the pacing was off. We’d get three chapters of Dianna, then three chapters of Liam, and when we went back to Dianna, she’d rehash the events that we just read about in Liam’s chapter. There were a lot of flashbacks and even flashbacks within flashbacks. It would have been better if Dianna’s side was shown while still in the plane of the event. So say in Liam’s POV, Dianna crashes a meeting. We should have chapters before Liam’s POV where Dianna prepares for crashing the meeting, not revisiting it in a flashback after the intrusion already occurred. However, their voices were distinguishable, not carbon copies of the other. I particularly enjoyed how his tone was always so unnecessarily formal because he is literally from a different era and world and doesn’t know the colloquial speak of the current time. It was really funny! A great character touch.

-It was hard for me to get into and stay into this book. The beginning was realllyyyyy hard for me to get into. But around 30% (mini spoiler: when they start working together), i was good to go. Until the 70% mark. Then I just skimmed.

Who Should Read This?

Hardcore fantasy fans with a taste for enemies to friends to lovers. If you’re not fond of the genre, this may not entertain you.

This was a really unique and enjoyable read. It definitely was a slow burn, heavy on the slow. This book tended to fee a little longer than necessary but that’s just my opinion on pacing. Otherwise I wholly enjoyed this book.

(4.7 ⭐️) This book was a whole journey, not only because it was absurdly long. I won’t hold that against it since this was the ARC version and I’m quite certain that some of the fat would be trimmed off for the final release.

I was absolutely sucked into this book the entire time I was reading it. The world was so captivating and following Dianna and Liam through it was just too good to stop reading. There were multiple days I showed up to work exhausted because I stayed up reading this and that should say something. Not only was the actual plot and lore so interesting, but the slowburn enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance between Dianna and Liam was done SO well. My only real complaint is that I wish the discussion about “monsters” and not judging a book by its cover was more fleshed out and had some more nuance to it.

If you love fantasy romance, pick this up expeditiously. Like right this second.

I tried to push through this hoping it was just one of those books that needed a few chapters to hook you, but unfortunately I couldn't gel with the writing at all.
I like the premise, but Dianna irritated me and everything seemed overly dramatic and I didn't care about any of the characters.

Sorry, but it's a DNF from me.

If you want an enemies to lovers book with enough slow burn to reignite something in your heart, this is it!

Mortal enemies have to work together against an ancient and powerful evil to fine The book of Azrael before they do to stop the end of the world all while dealing with PTSD and unresolved trauma.

This book!! This book has me questioning every 5 star read I’ve read before this. This is what a 5star read feels like! Other 5 star books are not 5 starring like this one is 5 starring!!

I haven’t read a fantasy books that made me feel like this in a while. The diverse set of characters gave you a lot to sink your teeth into. They were written in a compelling way in which even the side characters really crawl into your heart. This felt akin to how ACOTAR develops the side characters to a point where you love them just as much. I also loved the character development that you could see through the multiple POVs of the FMC and MMC. They are both dealing with past trauma and learning how to process this trauma. Dianna gave me such Bryce Quinlan vibes. I love a strong independent woman! I felt like Amber Nicole did a great job of making her strong and independent while showing that being vulnerable and craving love doesn’t mean weakness!

Now I’m a big fan of enemies to lovers, however too many books make the jump from enemies to lovers in like two chapters without really showing why they shifted from enemies to lovers. The same can be said for the slow burn. An enemies to lovers slow burn needs to burn. They don’t just need to go from strangers to lovers but from hate to love. This book did BRILLIANT job of this. You clearly saw the hate evolve into love, from the multiple POVs we can clearly understand the aspects that made their feelings shift! It made sense for the love to form regardless of their backgrounds! And the tension! Oh the sweet tension!! 80% into the book is when it happens and oh was it glorious!! The spice was amazingly written and so worth the wait!

I also appreciated that the book didn’t fall straight into the relationship building part. It spent time on world building and setting the scene. Giving background info on the individual characters before thrusting them together and on their quest.

The plot was great as well as the pacing and I very much enjoyed the world this was set in with so many different fantasy creatures!

I draw a lot of parallels to Sarah J Maas books as up to this point, nothing came close to how I felt about those books but so much of this reminded me of her books. There are Feyre and Rhys vibes however I would say that Liam is Feyre and Dianna is Rhys and it is everything! This is also Urban Fantasy to me so I feel like it would be the perfect read for fans of Crescent City.

Just read this book!! I am obsessed with this and I cant wait for the second book!

This was awesome! Original plot and great characters. I don’t want to give anything away but 10/10 would recommend!

It was a slow start but once it picked up, I was hooked and couldn't read fast enough. The world building was something I loved reading about, all the diversity among the people and the romance was beautiful. I loved reading about Dianna, how badass and tough she is but also has that soft side that made her take the decision she's made so far. Now the world ender? He was everything. The Book Of Azrael was a rollercoaster of emotions, especially the ending. Cant wait for the next book.

I loved reading this book; in fact, it's one of the best I've read so far this year. I will definitely be buying a physical copy to display on my bookshelf!

The book started out interesting, with unique plots, characters and story. But the more and more I got into it the more the characters got annoying and it seemed like the plot was all over the place.

This book had a lot of potential if done in another way.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 2 | Atmosphere: 4 | Writing: 2 | Plot: 2 | Intrigue: 1 | Logic: 2 | Enjoyment: 1
Total: 2.00

DNF at 51%. Unfortunately, this book is too long for me to maintain interest in it. The writing still needs some serious editing as of the ARC's access, and I hope that it went through it before publication. There are times the same sentence is repeated only pages apart, and the tone of voice is not consistent. Our main character Dianna is non-sensibly crass for someone who has lived as long as she has, and reads more like a 17-year-old than an adult character in an adult book. I have no issue with crass characters, but the way she behaves doesn't indicate a character who has lived as long as she does. There are convenient explanations for everything that doesn't make sense, and after a while, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at them. I found myself dreading reading the next 50%, as I really did not care about what happened to who.

4 1/2 Stars

It takes a lot for a book to leave me speechless, but this one came close. I absolutely loved it. It was an enemies to lovers fantasy with some fabulously written characters. Seriously, this author's imagination is top notch. The romance portion of the book is a slow burn....a very slow burn. However, the chemistry between the characters is firing on all cylinders well before anything happens between them.

Lengthy books are typically not my jam because I often feel like there's fluff or something unnecessary and drawn out tucked into the story. That was absolutely not the case with this one. Everything in this book blended into the plot. I never felt like I was reading something that didn't pertain to the overall story. Each word mattered. I simply loved this book in its entirety. The world building, the characters, the plot twists, even the heart wrenching parts. It's just so well done.

As many other reviewers have already stated - - You have to read this book. I'm jumping on their bandwagon. It's amazing. An incredible debut. I look forward to book two....eagerly.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5

This is a Dual POV fantasy romance novel about Dianna, a woman who exchanged her freedom for her sister’s life a thousand years ago. Now she is a killing machine (with a mortal heart) under Kaden’s rule. Think precursor to the modern day vampire abilities. She is a monster and the only thing keeping her rooted to her humanity is her younger sister, Gabby. Samkiel, known as the “World Ender” and leader to the Celestials and son of a God himself, is considered forever immortal. After the events of the Gods' war, he retreated to isolate himself from being a leader, until the death of a member of his Hand. After unexpected events, Dianna and Samkiel are forced to work together, even though they are eternal enemies.

The world building is excellent. It’s a big book at 800+ pages but it flows really well. The pace keeps you constantly intrigued and entertained while also feeding you tons of information that is not too overwhelming. Usually with these bigger books, it feels like they are way too long, but this was actually perfect. The love scenes were steamy, but more of a tease to what is coming in future books. The ending left me with such a cliffhanger and I cannot wait for book 2!

Thank you to Rose & Star Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Tropes: enemies to lovers, overprotective, one bed, forbidden love, slow burn, morally gray heroes

Spice Level: 2/5

5/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️

That was an incredible ride. I absolutely loved the story, the characters, the world building and everything in-between. It hooked me from the start and I was enthralled until the finish.

Dianna is a mortal turned monster who is indebted to her maker, Kaden, in exchange for her sister's life and safety. Liam is a king and god who they call World Ender. They are mortal enemies, but together they team up to hopefully save the world from Kaden, who plans to open up the sealed realms and let the monsters out once again.

I love, love, love Dianna. She is a bad@$$, morally grey, female villain, which we just don't see enough of in romance novels. I love her snark, how much she cares about those she loves and her ability to bring Liam to his best self. Liam is the perfect cinnamon roll. He is selfless, caring and loyal and tends to throw caution to the wind when it comes to Dianna.

The beginning hate and banter between them was hilarious and it was even better as they softened up to each other. This was definitely a slow burn. There was never any PIV smut, but the foreplay was great and got a deserved 2 stars from me. We seem to have promises for some 4-5 spice smut in future books.

The ending was a rough cliffhanger. The whole book was a roller coaster of emotions, but that last few pages really dropped your stomach with the heartache. I can't wait to read more of this story and am looking forward to the next installment!

4/5 stars!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Like I’ve seen in a few other reviews, it is a bit chalked full of info at the beginning, so I would recommend taking your time with this.

The writing, world building and world itself, and our mains were all fantastic.

The only reason I didn’t give this 5 was because I just wanted a bit smoother of a transition into the romance aspects and the feelings they have for each other.

Other than that, I loved it and will be reading book 2!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is my own honest opinion

I eventually had to accept that I was going to DNF this one. Very early on I realized that I just could not connect with the writing - I like the idea of the story, but the dialogue was off to me, and I thought the writing just wasn't what I was expecting.

The book of azrael was a really ambitious undertaking by a new author and she mostly pulled it off. The thing I always hate about a new series is the amount of world-building the book expends in the first half. This book and writing reminded me very much of Crescent City, a series I did not love until the second book. I have a feeling the book of Azrael will have a similar journey to my heart.

The world Dianna, regenerated monster and sometimes villian/heroine, lives in is a world where another world collided with it in its destruction. Liam (formerly known as Samkiel) is an immortal god from , his world was destroyed by him when other gods from his world began a war known as the gods world.

The really cool part of this storytelling is that Dianna consumes memories from those she drinks from. So when Liam gives her blood, she is taken back through his history on ...... We get to see in real time the destruction of his planet and his journey to Dianna.

Dianna and Liam are both damaged and I love how they are able to connect and find the best of each other through it. I loved them as a couple and wanted more spice. We get mild spice - like two scenes of 3rd base. The cliffhanger was great, as far as cliffhangers go. I wasn't expecting that and the way it played out was pretty epic.

Fuck me up and roll me over THAT ENDING.

I picked this up because readers said it was a TRUE enemies to loves story and they were not wrong! Diametrically on opposing sides, our main couple are full of trauma, agony, spunk and grit.

This is a fantastic read you don’t want to miss!